


Puppy Love

by nitschieh



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 05:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6142777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitschieh/pseuds/nitschieh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami and Kuroko go on a walk with Nigou and meet someone unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Kagakuro Fanbook and it was a lot of fun and an honour to participate in such a big fan project T^T  
> Even though Kagakuro are obviously the main ship the Takazuki in it is kinda strong, I guess.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this little thing~ :) Please leave feedback if you have some thoughts to share!

Nigou is nothing short of ecstatic when he runs outside into the first snow of the year. Kuroko has a hard time keeping the puppy on the short leash because he uses a strength no animal his size should have—Nigou's grown quite a bit over the past year, but he still is a puppy after all. Actually, Kuroko thinks, Nigou's strength isn't all that surprising if his reaction to the fallen leaves at the end of summer was an indicator for what was to follow now and from now on.

They meet Kagami at the entrance to the dog park they like to frequent. The big teenager tries to hide behind a signpost and glares at all the happily yapping, passing dogs with so much suspicion in his eyes that Kuroko can't help but let Nigou run the remaining few metres freely. 

With his tiny bark Nigou greets Kagami who jumps in shock, almost kicking him in the process. Kuroko steps up next to him. 

"Hello, Kagami-kun," he greets and fails to hide a smile at the way Kagami clutches his chest.

Kagami takes a few seconds to calm down before he yells, "Kuroko, dammit! I told you not to do that anymore."

Kuroko shushes him with his index finger and then takes one last step to rest his head against the taller teen's chest. He looks up at Kagami with his big eyes and says, "I'm sorry, but when Kagami-kun reacts so cutely every time, I can't help but bully him a little."

Kagami tries hard to glare at Kuroko the way he did with the dogs earlier, but a blush quickly creeps up his cheeks and in the end he covers Kuroko's eyes with his own hand. "Don't say stuff like that while looking at me with those eyes."

After a few seconds, Kuroko puts enough distance between them again so he can shake the hand off. He considers asking what kind of eyes Kagami is talking about, but eventually decides he's teased him enough. The small smile that's playing around Kuroko's lips makes it impossible for Kagami to stay mad at him. 

He turns away slightly to stay side-by-side with Kuroko and mumbles, "Let's go already."

Just then, Nigou nudges Kuroko's calf and the boy picks up his leash. Before Kuroko can even start walking, however, Kagami silently snatches it from him and gets a head start. A warm, fuzzy feeling spreads throughout Kuroko's whole body and the cool air around them suddenly seems to be just that much colder on his cheeks. 

Kagami takes the leash in his left hand—which is further away from Kuroko—and patently obviously lets his other hand glide into his coat pocket. The fond smile appears back on Kuroko's lips as his own freezing fingers join Kagami's.

 

They stick to the outer, less crowded parts of the dog park. They know that even their little display of affection—as subtle as it may be—is annoyance enough for many of the few people who actually notice Kuroko so they tend to keep to themselves. 

Nigou excitedly runs from one small pile of snow to the next, burying his tiny nose inside every once in a while and digging through others. Kuroko and Kagami are mostly quiet during the walk. It's a comfortable silence, however, as they just relish in each other's company. 

Suddenly, Nigou starts barking like crazy, pulling on the leash and making Kagami stumble. Kuroko calls for the dog to calm down, but he's interrupted by another dog's bark in reply to Nigou's. Kagami tries to keep his balance but in the end he can't and falls flat on his butt. Kuroko quickly takes the leash from him because Nigou starts pulling harder in his excitement—his tail wags faster and faster by the second—and so Kagami can get back up to his feet, not without cursing under his breath.

Kuroko is very close to getting really angry with Nigou when finally two—no, three— more or less familiar figures turn the corner just in front of them; Izuki, Takao and what Kuroko assumes is Izuki's dog.

While their masters stare at each other dumbfoundedly, the two dogs jump happily around each other.

Then, skipping all formalities, Takao starts giggling, "Didn't you say she doesn't play well with others?"

Izuki blinks twice, getting over his initial surprise. "She really doesn't," he protests and turns a little so he can look at Takao and Kuroko both. "But it's not the first time she's met Nigou and it seems that he has the same talent of making friends as his master. ...Hm?"

His eyes trail to the side, right behind Kuroko. The younger boy turns the slightest bit, only to see Kagami cowering behind him, staring at the new canine arrival in fear. "Ah, I almost forgot Kagami-kun is still bad with most dogs," Kuroko muses.

Kagami tries to glare at him but it's impossible with the two dogs around. Izuki keeps his dog close to his side. Before an awkward silence can spread between them, Takao speaks up again and suggests, "Why don't we walk together for a bit? We were just about to head back home anyway, weren't we, Shun-chan?"

Izuki nods nonchalantly, but Kuroko can see the faint blush on his cheeks as he hears his nickname. He joins the other boys on Takao's side so that Izuki and Kagami are on opposite sides of their chain to ensure the biggest possible distance between Kagami and Izuki's dog.

They slowly stroll down the path that Izuki and Takao just came from. Izuki's dog seems to know that it's time to go home because it she leads the way perfectly with Nigou following close behind.

"So," Kuroko starts. "This is Izuki-senpai's dog, I assume? What's her name?"

They stop for a second when both dogs sniff at a seemingly particularly interesting bush, before Izuki answers, "She's called Shinu."

"Shinu?"

"Yes," Takao chimes in. "Cause she's a Shiba Inu." He grins from one ear to the other, either because he finds it hilarious or because he's happy he's in on the 'secret'. Kuroko thinks it might be a combination of both.

When the dogs finish their sniffing the group continues walking. Kuroko feels that fuzzy feeling again when he realises that Kagami is now walking closer to him than before. He's got his hand back in his pocket as well.

For a short while, Kuroko shifts his eyes between the pocket and the other two boys—in a way that he thinks is subtle—because he's unsure of whether it's okay to hold hands next to their upperclassman and a rival from another school or not. Takao solves the problem for him when he says, "Just go for it. It's not like we don't know."

It's Kagami who yelps at that and blurts out, "Izuki-senpai, did you tell Takao?"

Takao laughs out loud—so loud, in fact, that Nigou jumps and turns around for a second to see what the fuss is about. The puppy quickly realises that nothing exciting happened and closes the small gap that formed between him and Shinu. 

Takao's laughter fades into a soft giggle. "He really didn't have to. I would've known even without my Hawk Eye," he says. "Though, to be honest, you guys didn't strike me as a pair to be so open about it even in full-public."

Kuroko's cheeks get tinted in a light pink. It doesn't carry into his voice when he pointedly glances at where Takao's and Izuki's knuckles brush against each other between them and deadpans, "Neither did you and Izuki-senpai," with a small smirk on his lips.

"Touché," Takao chuckles while Izuki chokes dangerously. Takao pats his boyfriend's back soothingly and leans over to peck his cheek when Kagami—who turns around to look at them just a moment later—asks innocently, "By the way, how come you guys are here together?"

The remaining three boys gape at him and Kuroko is glad both his hands are occupied because otherwise he's sure he couldn't have stopped himself from slapping his own forehead. He loves Kagami with all his heart, but sometimes his social skills are just... lacking.

"You know," Izuki explains and seems to have trouble not stumbling over his words, "ever since I said I couldn't take in Kagami #2 because Shinu doesn't do well with strangers, Takao desperately begged me to meet her. When he first did she wouldn't stop licking his face so sometimes we go on walks together."

Kagami nods thoughtfully and they soon drift off into casual conversation about school and the upcoming Winter Cup. When they approach the next exit of the dog park, Izuki announces they would take their leave there and the two pairs say their goodbyes.

Before he turns away for good, however, Takao leans close to Kuroko and whispers, "I guess it's needless to say that the nature of this whole meeting stays a secret. Shun doesn't want to be public yet."

Kuroko has a hard time keeping a laugh from bubbling out at the serious tone Takao uses. Instead, he waits until he steps out of his personal space and replies as earnestly as he can, "Neither do we. Our teammates knowing was a necessity we felt we owed them but other than that we'd like to keep a low profile."

Takao glances at where Kuroko's hand is still buried inside Kagami's coat pocket. "We didn't expect to run into anyone we know," Kuroko says. "Other people rarely notice me anyway. Having close to no presence does have its perks sometimes."

Kuroko smiles and Shinu barks loudly before Takao has time to reply to that. Izuki calls for him as well, saying they'd have to hurry if they want to catch their bus. "Takao, are you coming?"

Takao waves goodbye to Kuroko and Kagami and jogs to join Izuki by his side. He doesn't turn back around when he says, "We should meet up again like this some time. And I'm not going to tell Shin-chan, don't worry." Then, he takes Izuki's hand and entwines their fingers in plain sight, which makes Izuki jump and blush, but not protest.

An annoyed crease forms between Kuroko's eyebrows and he squeezes Kagami's hand a bit tighter. 

"Kuroko?"

"I feel like we just lost as a couple," Kuroko mumbles which ends in Kagami widening his eyes and gasping. Kuroko lets him have his moment of realisation and then simply turns around, pulling him behind by their joint hands. 

"Let's go home," he says and Kagami feels like that's the end of the conversation.

 

They walk down the empty pathway they were following earlier with Izuki and Takao, stopping every now and then when Nigou still seems like he needs to explore his surroundings more.

A few minutes before they enter the main path, Kuroko slips his hand out of Kagami's grasp. Immediately, Kagami's face falls into something that Kuroko can only describe as a 'sad-puppy look'—but he thinks it's better to keep that thought to himself.

"My other hand is getting cold so I thought about switching sides," he explains and takes Nigou's leash in his left hand for emphasis. Kagami silently falls back a step only to rejoin him on his right. 

Before Kuroko slides his hand back into Kagami's pocket a sly smile forms on his lips and he quickly smacks his boyfriend's butt. 

Kagami lets out a high-pitched squeak that doesn't suit the size of his body at all. He turns to face Kuroko with wide eyes and his mouth gaping as their hand intertwine gently.

"What the fuck, Kuroko?" Kagami yells, finally getting his voice back.

Kuroko is still smiling when he says, "I simply wanted to check if Kagami-kun's trousers are still wet from when he fell after Nigou startled him earlier." He pauses, then adds, "They're, in fact, still damp so we should hurry home where you can take them off."

Kagami is about to protest but when he sees the hint of pink on Kuroko's cheeks, his heart beats faster and he lets it slide. Instead, he turns around to lean down for a quick kiss.

Nigou pulls on the leash then, and the two teenagers walk home quietly, albeit a bit faster than before.


End file.
